You Can't Stop Me From Breaking
by AngelWithASeraphBlade
Summary: A.U. Newt is trapped in an abusive relationship with Gally. Slowly isolated, his friends are clueless and he gradually becomes more alone. Will anyone notice and save him? Sorry for the rubbish summary. Warning: contains abuse and hints at rape, etc.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, so this is my first Maze Runner fic. I'm just trying this idea out, so it would be really greta if you could tell me what you think of it, whether I should continue it?**

 **Lu xxx**

* * *

Newt stared around the kitchen. It was, as usual, a mess, all the crockery he'd laid out carefully for Gally's breakfast strewn about the place, coffee stains on the table and almost all of the cupboards thrown open. The living room of their small apartment was also not great from the previous night, and he hadn't really seen the bedroom when he hadn't been completely hammered or still slightly blinded by sleep, but from what he could remember it was bad. He had to have it sorted by four or he was screwed.

He felt Gally come back into the room, briefcase in hand. He stood absolutely still as the other man kissed him on the top of his head.

"This had better be sorted by the time I get back."

He closed his eyes and waited until he heard the lock in the door click shut, and then he slumped his shoulders and let his heart rate drop slightly.

Their room was, and he'd dreaded, a disaster. He gathered all of the sheets up first, shoving them in the washing machine along with all of the clothes that been left on the floor. Once that was on, he was able to assess the rest of the damage. Gally had managed to crack their mirror and had swiped all of the things carefully arranged around the place on the floor, a few of them also broken. Swearing, he set about putting them back in their places. Luckily, only a glass and a reed diffuser which he was pretty sure Gally never noticed had actually been smashed, but he was still worried about the mirror – you couldn't exactly fix those.

He wandered out down the corridor to the living room, staring at his watch. 9:30. He was ok. There was no way that everything wouldn't be (pretty much) perfect when Gally got back.

It appeared the only real issues with the living room were the wine bottles (and glasses) and a few beer cans, plus the sofa cushions were a bit out of place. He shoved them in the sink and bin respectively, spent a good half an hour removing numerous stains from the _white_ carpet – a grave mistake considering how clumsy he made Gally – and then collapsed against the wall. 10:17.

Over the next two hours he managed to get all the washing up sorted, had wiped all the surfaces in the kitchen twice and made the bed again. By the time the clock hit four he'd hoovered the bedroom and living room twice, mopped the kitchen and corridor, sorted out the bathroom, and laid something out for Gally in case he came home hungry.

He was stood in the kitchen polishing up the taps again when he heard the lock turning in the front door. Immediately throwing down the cloth he rushed into hall, taking Gally's briefcase and coat as he stepped in and placing them where his boyfriend liked them. He was just straightening up when Gally grabbed his shoulders. Newt tried not to tense up and let the man turn him around.

"Is everything how I like it?" He said pleasantly.

Newt nodded slowly. "Everything except…except the mirror in our bedroom. It… well I think it must have got cracked last night."

Gally smiled icily, and then slapped his face hard. Newt didn't bother to move his head back around.

"We're going out tonight. I want you presentable by eight."

Newt's shoulders were released and he watched Gally disappear into the living room.

"I've left something for you in the kitchen…"

No response. Newt ran his fingers through his hair and padded into the kitchen, closing the door gently behind him. It was only then that he allowed himself to sink to the floor and touch his face, which was softly swelling now. He gave himself a couple of minutes, then cleared away the untouched plate – a more regular occurrence these days – before going over to the fridge and picking out a can of beer from near the back. Popping it open, he crossed the corridor into the living room and set it down in front of Gally on the coffee table. He had sat down and was staring blankly ahead.

"How was your day at work?"

Gally grunted and carried on staring.

"Fine."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes.

"Where are we going tonight?" He asked eventually, trying to hide the strain in his voice.

Gally took a large swig of beer.

"Alby's. We're meeting up with all the boys."

Newt smiled weakly at Gally, who wasn't looking.

"Should be fun then."

The other man didn't say anything, just took another swig and carried on looking ahead. Newt reached out and turned Gally's face towards his with two fingers under his chin. He couldn't read him, so he took a chance and kissed him gently.

"I love you, Gally." He said quietly against his mouth, looking down. Gally pulled him against him hard, and crushed their lips together again, harder this time, raking his fingers up Newt's back under his shirt. Newt gave in and leant in to him, his hands resting on the other man's chest, leaving a small space between them. Gally's fingers were scratching his back uncomfortably now, but he ignored it and focussed on the feeling of their mouths moulding together, the scent of Gally, how he tasted…

And then all of a sudden it stopped. Gally drew away and sat back in his original seat, taking another swig of beer, emptying the can.

"I'm going to have a shower. Eight, remember."

Newt nodded and watched him leave the room.

* * *

The night was slightly warm, a light breeze running through Newt's hair as he and Gally walked down the road to Alby's apartment. Gally had his hands in his pockets and was whistling off key under his breath as the sun began to set in the distance. It was a beautiful evening, the sky faintly lined with strips of colour. There were a few clouds streaked across it, glowing slightly in the fading light. All around the dull sounds of traffic grumbled and somewhere nearby a siren sounded. It was very peaceful.

Gally must have noticed that his mind had wandered off, because he nudged him with his elbow.

"Hey, what're you thinking? Away with the faeries?" He chuckled slightly.

"Just that it's a beautiful evening."

His boyfriend looked around slightly, before fixing his attention back on him.

"It is." He pecked him on the lips. "And I can't think of a better way to spend it."

Newt smiled and moved closer to him.

"You're so cheesy sometimes, you know that?"

Gally laughed again, and placed an arm casually around Newt's shoulder.

"You know you love it."

"Of course I do."

They reached the door to Alby's building and Gally removed his arm to press the buzzer. There was a clattering noise from the other end, some swearing and then the door clicked open. Newt walked through as his boyfriend held the door open, and they walked up the stairs to Alby's fifth floor place with Gally slightly behind his shoulder.

When they walked in, the 'party' was in full swing. Minho and Alby, along with a man Newt thought was called Ben, were attempting to play Twister whilst apparently still sober – there was no evidence pointing towards alcohol being present yet. As Gally closed the door behind them, Minho glanced up.

"Hey! How're you guys doing?"

"Great, you?" Smiled Gally. Newt nodded and stuck his hands in the pocket of his jeans.

"Slightly stuck." Muttered Ben viciously. He was indeed stuck, with Minho's leg over his shoulders and Alby's hand between his feet. Alby laughed, wobbled slightly, and all of a sudden they were all in a pile of the floor. Minho swore loudly.

"Are you sure that game's safe?" Newt asked, removing his coat.

"No." Ben muttered again. Gally laughed, and took off his own jacket, shoving it over the back of a chair. They all managed to (eventually) untangle themselves and a few minutes later were just settling onto the multitude of sofas, a set of vodka shots laid out on the coffee table, when the buzzer sounded again. Alby got up, listened to the intercom and then pressed them in.

At couple of minutes late, Chuck, who was a friend of Ben's and Minho's from…somewhere, came in with another man and woman, both with dark hair.

"Hey guys."

This was followed by a chorus of "Hi Chuck". Minho stood up and gave the younger man a fist bump before gesturing to his friends, who were stood looking slightly awkward. Chuck seemed to notice, because he suddenly gestured for them to sit down.

"This is Thomas and Teresa – they're twins. Met them at Glade."

Thomas and Teresa nodded stiffly to the rest of the group before proceeding to sit next to Chuck and Minho on one of the big sofas. Everyone quickly introduced themselves, and the two seemed to relax a little.

Pretty soon, the conversation descended into work – Chuck had apparently got a promotion and Alby was pissed at his boss. Newt chucked back a couple of the shots and sank back into the sofa, withdrawing himself. No one really seemed to notice; it was only when he downed a fourth that he saw that the guy Thomas looking at him. But then Gally asked the other man about his job, and he was quickly distracted. This was the usual with the group – all drinking and jobs and conversations about girlfriends which Newt didn't exactly fit into.

This continued for a good half an hour, before Minho decided it was too boring.

"So, how's about we do something fun?" He grinned manically. Newt grabbed another shot and groaned silently.

"Like what?" Alby raised an eyebrow.

"Spin the bottle."

Ben, who had also been falling into a little bit of a stupor, perked up, and Chuck smiled.

"Great idea!" It was the first real animation anyone had seen from Thomas, and he shrank back ever so slightly.

"Excellent, so we're all agreed." Minho rubbed his hands together.

"You know, I'm not so sure…" Gally grumbled. Minho stood up and began looking for a suitable (hopefully not glass) bottle.

"Don't be a spoilsport. It's not like any of us are going to steal Newt." Smiled Chuck. He smiled too much. Newt tried to disappear into the sofa.

"Fine."

Minho returned with a Diet Coke bottle filled with water, and shifted the coffee table out of the way.

"Right, everyone on the floor in a circle."

There was a fair amount of grumbling, but in the end the all ended up in some sort of circle on the wooden floor, Newt squeezed up right between Gally and Ben.

"Right here's what we're gonna do."

"We all know the rules, Minho."

"Shush Alby. So, we go around the circle, starting with…Chuck." Chuck grinned. "Anticlockwise. You spin, kiss who it lands on. Simple. And just pecks please, no making out." He paused. "Yet."

Gally shook his head. "Minho, you're crazy."

Minho ignored him and passed the bottle to Chuck, who was still looking a bit excitable – Newt reckoned he was probably already drunk.

Chuck got Teresa, Alby got Minho, and Ben also got Minho, who started making jokes about how he was irresistible. Then it was Newt's turn. He closed his eyes, sucked in a breath and spun the bottle hard with his wrist. He blinked them open again to see the bottle land on Gally, released the breath, and then turned to kiss his boyfriend, to a chorus of wolf whistles (he may have lingered). He smiled ever so slightly at him, but Gally didn't return it, instead reaching out to grab the bottle. It nearly landed on Minho again, but eventually settled on Teresa. They lingered too and Newt tried not to take it like a slap to the face.

Minho got Thomas, Teresa got Ben, and then Thomas got Newt.

Newt tensed as the man leaned straight across the circle, kissed him and then moved back again. Then it was Chuck's turn and everyone distracted their attention.

This carried on for too long; Newt lost track after the third or fourth round. Eventually, it was the last one.

"Right." Minho rubbed his hands together. "Since we've all agreed this is the last round, we're gonna spice it up a bit." Teresa groaned. "Screw the bottle, we are just gonna make out with the person opposite us for thirty seconds." Newt's eyes widened.

"What?!"

"You heard me Newty. Come on then, let's get going. Chuck, Gally, please."

Gally shook his head. "Minho, we aren't teenagers, this is weird."

Minho laughed. "Gally, come on."

Gally grumbled and reached out, taking the younger man's face in his hands. Newt was pretty sure they were only at it for ten seconds, not for the full half a minute, but everyone else seemed to find it too funny to mind. Minho and Alby took much longer and with a surprising amount of passion (Newt put it down to the fact they were both drunk) and everyone agreed that Teresa and Ben were their new OTP, which made them both blush and sit back awkwardly.

Then it was Newt and Thomas's turn. The other man shuffled across stiffly, put his arms around Newt's neck and then before he knew it their mouths were moulding together. Newt had to hold back a gasp – Thomas was a good kisser. He tasted vaguely of something sweet, and Newt could feel him shaking slightly. He closed his eyes and relaxed into just as the other man drew back. The room was silent and Newt could feel the pair of eyes on him before he opened his. Minho whistled.

"Right…well…ok, how about we do Chase the Ace? Loser takes a shot?"

There was a buzz of agreement, and everyone was just shifting back into the circle, which had become somewhat misshapen during the previous activities, when Gally stood up.

"Actually, I think Newt and I are going."

Alby raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Well, you know, I don't want a massive hangover tomorrow and it's getting late. Besides, we don't really care much for card games, do we?"

Newt shook his head and stood up next to his boyfriend.

"Well, guess we'll see you around then." Smiled Minho. Gally just nodded and headed out towards the door. Newt followed. "Bye, guys." He muttered, going out into the hall.

As soon as the door was closed, Gally stalked off down the stairs, not even bothering to check if Newt was following. He was clearly furious, his gait fast and clipped, his shoulders visibly tense through his jacket. He realised he'd left his coat inside, but he didn't want to go back and fetch it, so he just jogged down, following Gally out of the building. He finally caught up just outside, and reached out to grab his shoulder…

Gally spun around and closed his hand around Newt's throat, throwing his back into the wall behind him. Newt right at Gally, his hands shaking slightly, trying desperately to hold back the tears burning the back of his eyes. He bit his lip, his chest constricting.

"Why don't you just go back in there, _Newty_." Gally spat viciously. "I'm sure you'd love to just go and jump little Thomas, wouldn't you?"

Newt shook his head desperately.

"Gally…you…you know I only love you…" He choked against the pressure on his windpipe. Gally released his grip.

"I don't believe you." He whispered venomously into Newt's air.

"Please, Gally, you have to…"

"No, I don't." He grabbed Newt's left wrist tightly in his right hand, and started dragging him off down the road. The night had grown very cold, and it was now almost completely dark. Newt could feel himself shiver, goose bumps appearing on his arms. He struggled to get out of Gally's grip but it was like iron, clamping down and cutting off the blood supply to his hand slightly. Subconsciously he knew he'd have a bracelet of bruises in the morning.

"Gally, please…" He whispered as he continued to stride along, but the man ignored him, staring straight ahead. "Please…"

After a couple more minutes of this they reached their building. Gally dragged him up the stairs to their apartment, unlocking the door and shoving Newt in hard, so that he stumbled and nearly fell. He turned to see Gally sliding the bolts in the door shut behind them, shoulders shaking.

"Gally…"

He snapped around and punched Newt square in the jaw, then pressed him against the wall again, his hands placed on either side of his head, forming a cage around him. Newt felt himself trembling but he tried not to show it. Gally hated it when he did.

"Gally, it was just a game…"

He punched him again, harder this time. Newt's head was filled with stars for a split second, and he could feel blood trickling from his cheek where Gally must have been able to break the skin.

"How about you don't speak, _Newty._ Why _does_ Minho call you that? You screwing him too?"

"Gally, you know I can't, wouldn't have…"

Gally's knee connected with his stomach, and he doubled over. He felt himself being pushed to the floor.

"I told you not to speak!" He growled, and Newt closed his eyes and curled up in a ball as Gally's feet connected with his body, again, and again, and again. Pain erupted in his back, on his shins, his arms, his head. There was another impact on his stomach…and then it stopped. He struggled to his knees, coughing. He placed his hand up to his mouth, and it came away red. He whimpered. Strong hands yanked him up by his collar.

"You know you deserve this Newt. You know you do."

Newt nodded, trying desperately hard not to cry. He bit his lip and looked down, away from Gally, but the other man yanked his face and kissed him roughly, forcing his lips open. He tried to pull back but he couldn't; his boyfriend was holding him in a vice-like grip.

Gally began pushing him backwards into the bedroom, still kissing him. The back of his knees hit the bed and he fell onto it, Gally crashing down on top of him. The pressure on his face released and Newt opened his eyes to see his boyfriend yanking of his shirt. Gally slapped him hard, then ripped Newt's off too. He realised belatedly what was happening and started shaking his head.

"Please Gally…stop…"

Gally slapped him again, and then climbed off of him to remove his jeans. Newt tried to move away, but the other man was too fast, jumping back on top of him and pinning his arms down against the bed. He tried struggling, but Gally was too strong and heavy, and he couldn't do anything as he tore off his jeans, leaving them both in their boxers.

"Please don't…no…" He whispered, but Gally had already trapped Newt's mouth with his own again, silencing him. He was powerless as his boyfriend removed their underwear, and it was only when Gally finally pressed his face sideways into the pillow that Newt began to sob.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Enjoy :)**_

* * *

Newt lay curled up in a ball with his back to Gally, who was sprawled on his front, completely asleep. He, on the other hand, had been up almost all night, falling into short bursts of nightmares before waking up sweating again. Judging by the clock on the wall, just illuminated by a sliver of daylight from the curtains on the other side of the room, it was just gone half six – he'd have to be up soon to sort everything out before Gally went to work.

If he could get up.

Wincing, he propped himself up on his left elbow, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and twisting into a sitting position. He had been right the night before – there was a bracelet of bruises around his left wrist. His legs and arms were also pocked here and there with purple, and his stomach still felt really tender. A wave of nausea overcame him, and he gripped the edge of the bed, squeezing his eyes shut until it passed. Gally rolled over next to him.

As quietly as he could so as not to wake him, Newt got to his feet and began to creep out of the room. He winced slightly as the door creaked, and looked back, but Gally was still out. Closing it softly behind him, and grabbing a robe, he slunk down the hall and turned right into the kitchen. The tiles were cool under his feet, a relief against his skin, which had been burning up. He let the lack of heat seep into him for a moment, tying the robe shut, before creating a mental checklist of everything he was going to have to do before Gally got up in about an hour. Make breakfast. Have a shower. Try and hide the evidence of last night.

He sighed and checked the fridge. As he'd expected it was virtually empty – a couple of milk bottles, a tomato and a small block of cheese being the only things to grace his presence. It looked like it was just going to be cereal. He would have to ask Gally for grocery money. At least he was going to have a bit more time.

Newt sneaked back into the bedroom, grabbing a handful of clothes out of the dresser, and checking the time. 6:47. He was fine. He had plenty of time. Gally, at a glance, was still completely asleep, and showed no signs of waking. Newt inwardly hoped he would wake up on his own in time – having to rouse him was always a bit of a gamble. Gally was not a morning person at all.

Slipping into the shower released the tension he didn't release he'd been holding. He quickly scrubbed himself clean, and then just stepped back, leaning against the wall, letting the water fall over him. The droplets cascaded across his face, stinging slightly in the cut he'd forgotten he'd had. Newt raised a hand to his face and winced at the contact. He slowly sank to the floor, drawing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them, and then he was crying, the tears mixed in with the flow of water around him so that they became indistinguishable. Everything crashed down then, everything that had happened the previous night, and the night before that, and all the weeks before, the months before. It wouldn't be long before Gally would be up, before he'd have to pull himself together, but he let himself have the moment.

And then he had to snap out of it.

…

Newt watched as Gally took another sip of coffee, and stirred his nervously for about the tenth time without actually drinking. His boyfriend noticed his glances and put his mug down, glaring at him.

"Okay, what's up?"

"Nothing much."

Gally raised an eyebrow. Newt stirred his coffee again.

"We're…we're running low on stuff, that's all. Have… could I have this week's money to sort it out today please?"

He went back to staring at his coffee, trying to avoid Gally's gaze. He could almost feel the other man's eyes rolling.

"Sure."

Newt looked up to see Gally reaching inside his jacket and pulling out a tattered envelope, which he slid across the table towards Newt. He took it with an appreciative smile and tucked into the back pocket of his jeans.

"Thanks."

"There's money in there for a new mirror too. Make sure you get a good one."

Newt nodded, clutching the coffee (but still not drinking it.).

"I'm going to be late back tonight. Eight, maybe nine."

Newt said nothing, just carried on twisting his fingers until Gally finally got up, kissed the top of his head and left the apartment, leaving the door unlocked.

* * *

Newt shifted the plastic bags in his hands for what felt like the hundredth time as he trudged the four miles back to his and Gally's place. His boyfriend had helpfully forgotten to include enough in the envelope for the bus fare, and so he'd been forced to walk into town, which was a good three quarters of an hour each way, and felt like two. It was three in the afternoon, and unusually warm, and Newt was itching to roll up his sleeves, but he didn't want people to see the bruises – he was already getting enough funny looks for the fact his face was covered in foundation. Though it had probably melted of by now – when he'd picked out the new mirror (to be delivered the next day) he'd been starting to look quite purple down the left of his face.

He was probably about halfway back to the apartment, and he was knackered. The pain in his stomach had been getting worse throughout the day - it wasn't anything more than a dull ache, but it was still worrying him. Gally had struck him in the stomach too many times to count, and it had never hurt this much, or this insistently the day after. He felt another wave of nausea, and had to stop and just breathe for a moment until it passed. It really didn't help that it was so damn hot.

It was another couple of minutes until he heard the sound of a vehicle drawing up close the path.

"Hey, Newt!"

Newt felt his stomach drop, and looked right to see Minho and Thomas lounging in what appeared to be Thomas's truck – he was the one driving.

"Hey." He said, stopping and turning, squinting against the sun.

"What're you doing walking around here?"

"Oh, I've just being shopping and I didn't have anything left for the bus so…"

Minho rolled his eyes.

"Why didn't you just call me? We'd have given you a lift."

Newt shrugged.

"I'm out of credit."

He made as if to carry on, but Minho was having none of it.

"Come on." He said, clicking the door slightly open. "We're taking you home."

"No, I couldn't…"

"In." Minho said definitely, smiling at him.

Newt reluctantly swung the door fully open and slid inside the cab of the truck, keeping his face down and angled slightly to try and hide the bruises. Minho pulled him up onto the seat as he got in – Newt tried desperately hard not to flinch away and by some miracle just managed it – smiling at him again. Thomas said hi, then revved up the engine and they drove off away from the pavement.

"So, fancy coming back to mine for a bit?" His one time best friend asked.

Newt shook his head slightly.

"I ought to get back I've got a lot to do this afternoon."

Minho gave him a look.

"Come on, we haven't had a proper catch-up in ages!" He whined. Newt had almost forgotten how much of a whiner he was. Almost.

"I'm busy." Newt replied quietly, looking at his hands.

"Okay." Minho responded, but he didn't seem convinced. They spent the rest of the two minute journey in an uncomfortable silence, amplified by the presence of Thomas, who didn't seem sure what to do with himself.

When they got to the parking lot outside Newt's building, Minho directed Thomas in, and then followed Newt out of the cab. He muttered a quick thanks to the two boys, expecting them to just leave, but Minho followed him towards the building.

"Hey, Newt, are you sure you haven't…"

And then he stopped. The other man had grabbed Newt on the shoulder, had spun him around, and had noticed the bruises. His eyes went wide and he drew back fast. Newt didn't know how bad it really was, but judging by Minho's reaction it wasn't pretty.

"Jesus Christ Newt, what the fuck happened to your face?!"

He hung his head down to hide it again even though it was obvious the damage had already been done.

"It's nothing, you know I got really pissed last night, ended up falling up the stairs and face planting." He mumbled.

Minho stuck his hands on his hips, and once upon a time Newt might have found it funny, but the look the guy was giving him made him feel really uncomfortable.

"Oh come on Newt! You weren't that drunk when you left! You expect me to buy that?!"

Newt tensed up at the shouting.

"Minho, please just leave it, I need to go in." He whispered, his voice shaking slightly, and he started walking towards the entrance to the building. Minho grabbed his shoulder again, harder this time, and Newt flinched violently. He folded in on himself as much as possible with all the bags, hurtling as fast as he could towards the building. He must have looked like a right idiot, but he didn't care.

He couldn't really hear Minho following, but he still let his guard down until he'd struggled to get his and Gally's door open and shuffled in, dumping the bags on the floor in the hall and leaning against it. He hadn't realised, but he was breathing in short pants. As he stood there his chest constricted, and he closed his eyes, trying to talk himself out of the madness. It didn't work, and he felt his hands start to shake and his vision go blurry at the edges.

He was just slipping into total freak-out mode when there was a soft knocking on the door behind him. Jumping back against the wall, he could see the outline of someone who could only have been Minho through the frosted glass window. There was another short rapping.

"Newt? Are you okay?"

Newt almost responded, but his throat was too tight, and he just felt the overwhelming desire to curl up on the floor.

"Look, Newt, I'm sorry I freaked out on you. I just haven't really seen you in a while, and those bruises are bad…"

Newt swallowed painfully and managed to force out a few shaky words.

"Minho, please just go."

He squeezed his eyes shut, imagining the look of hurt on his face, but instead the man surprised him.

"No. I can't Newt. Not until you're okay."

"I'm fine." He forced. He knew, instantaneously, that Minho was rolling his eyes.

"You're obviously not. Come on, let me in."

Newt shook his head, before realising that Minho couldn't see him.

"I can't."

"Then at least talk to me?"

He didn't respond; just bit his lip, trying to calm his breathing. He sat down, curling his arms around his knees. Minho also appeared to have sat down outside. One thing that could be said about Minho was that he was bloody stubborn.

"Newt, did you really get those bruises from face-planting on the stairs?"

He pulled his legs closer, squeezed his eyes shut harder.

"Yes." He lied.

"Are you sure?"

"I promise." He whispered. There was a pause.

"You've gotten so quiet Newt. You were never this quiet before."

Newt felt his breathing become slightly less forced, felt the tension drop slightly in his chest.

"You know I'm always here if you need to talk." Another pause. "God that was so clichéd."

Newt laughed a bit at that.

"Well, are you gonna be alright? You sound…slightly less bad?"

"Yeah. You should go, Thomas will be waiting."

"Okay Newty. You have my number if you need me."

"Bye Minho."

"See ya Newt."

The shadow of Minho got up, and Newt heard his footsteps echo down the hall. He pressed his head back against the wall, failed to push the last of the tension out of his chest, and then got up to put the shopping away, his hands shaking the entire time.


	3. Chapter 3

Gally hadn't been lying when he'd said he was going to be late back. It had been dark for hours, and there was still no sign of him. Newt was curled up on the sofa, a lukewarm mug of coffee clutched to his chest, the TV blaring with a dull light in the background. He was knackered, and his eyelids kept dropping. Caffeine seemed to have been having much less of an effect on him lately. He felt himself slipping off again, the mug tilting dangerously. Letting the coffee spill before jolting upright, Newt checked the clock for the twentieth time. 11. He set down the coffee, wiped at the sofa aimlessly with his sleeve, and stretched his arms out.

He shouldn't have waited up for Gally. Tomorrow was Saturday, and so inevitable Gally would want them to go out together. He would be so pissed if Newt was tired all day, dragging his feet around, and inevitably he'd end up flipping out. And if Newt was tired, he couldn't act energetic at all. But then again if Gally got back, and Newt had gone to bed without him, or he'd not been up to greet him, he'd have flipped out again. Newt raked his hand through his hair and groaned with frustration. He just couldn't win.

The paranoia about where Gally actually was had begun to set in too. Usually, Gally was back when he said he would be – Newt couldn't remember the last time he was late, and recently he'd been getting earlier. Now he was two hours late and Newt was panicking. What if something had happened to him? What if he was stuck somewhere overnight and Newt would be alone? What if he'd been in an accident? If he was hurt?

Newt let himself get wrapped up in his catastrophizing, leaping up and running to the phone. He jammed in Gally's mobile, pressing it to his ear. Straight to voicemail. He smacked the bloody thing, before dialling again. Still no answer. The third time he waited for the drone voice to get to the bleep anxiously.

"Hey, Gally, it's me, it's Newt, look, where are you? I'm getting really freaked out now, please call me?"

He pressed the red button and wandered back into the lounge, shaking just a little bit. He needed to just slow down and stop getting wound up about such things. There seemed to be nothing to do but wait so, still on edge, Newt slumped back onto the sofa and curled into a ball. He was just lessening the panic down when another though entered his head. What if Gally was with someone else? But he pushed it out. Gally, whatever his faults, would never do that.

The minutes ticked by, and Newt hugged his knees closer still. His eyelids grew heavier, until finally he felt himself falling asleep. Just as he was drifting off, he thought he heard the phone ring. But the darkness was coming too quickly, and he couldn't know before it took him.

…

When Newt woke up, the first thing he noticed was that he was covered in a blanket. Gally must have got home safely then. He glanced over at the clock. It had just gone one. Pulling the blanket back, he staggered to his feet. He felt bleary from just having woken up, and his bruises had just started to ache badly. He made his way towards their bedroom, flicking the light off behind him, the blanket draped over his most injured arm. He wanted to hide it from himself and Gally, as if that would let them ignore that it had happened.

Gally was fast asleep on his side, looking, in Newt's opinion, insanely comfy. Throwing the blanket over a chair, he snuck over to the right side of the bed, and slipped under the covers. Trying desperately not to wake his boyfriend, he snuggled up behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist and burying his face into Gally's muscular back.

After a couple of minutes, he stirred and grabbed one of Newt's hands, rubbing circles on the back of it slowly.

"Hey gorgeous." He murmured groggily.

"I'm sorry I woke you up." Newt replied quietly. Gally chuckled softly under his breath.

"It's ok. I wasn't really asleep anyway."

"You scared me." Newt whispered into his back, pulling him closer.

"I know, I'm sorry. The dinner meeting overran and there was a massive accident, so the traffic was hell."

"Just please don't do it again. I was so worried."

Gally leant down and kissed his hand.

"I won't, I promise."

"Thank you." Newt kissed the back of Gally's head.

"Newt?"

"Yeah?" He replied sleepily, already feeling himself dozing off again.

"I love you."

"I love you too." He murmured, and then fell asleep.

…

The second time Newt woke up, it was to the smell of bacon cooking. He slunk out of bed, still aching badly, and then quickly showered and threw on some clothes. Ten minutes later and he was walking barefoot into the kitchen to Gally shoving two (slightly burned) bacon sandwiches onto plates. His boyfriend sat down and Newt slid in opposite him, taking a mug of coffee from Gally.

"You didn't have to do all this." Newt said, taking a sip of coffee.

"Maybe not, but I did want to treat my gorgeous boyfriend. Is that ok?" Gally smiled at him.

"It's great. Thank you." He smiled back, and they spent the next five minutes eating in a comfortable silence.

"Listen," said Gally, wiping his mouth, "I've been thinking. How about we go on a road trip? Just grab a couple of things, find a motel or something to stay in and just drive off for a bit?"

Newt fiddles with the cuff of his hoody.

"I'm not sure…Won't it cause trouble for you for work on Monday? I don't want you to be too tired…"

"Oh come on Newt!" Gally grabbed his hands over the table and leant forward, his eyes shimmering with excitement. "It's been way too long since we've done anything fun together, just the two of us! And besides, screw work! They won't miss me for a day, I can always call in sick or something."

Newt shrugged.

"If you're sure."

Gally beamed at him, and squeezed his hands.

"Excellent. Pack our bags, I'll meet you down by the car in, shall we say ten minutes?"

"But what about the dishes…"

Gally chuckled.

"Screw the dishes Newt, let's just go. In fact, screw bags, let's just leave. I've got my wallet, that's all we're gonna need."

Newt let him grab his hand and drag him excitedly out of the door, barely remembering to lock up behind them. It was a while since they'd done anything spontaneous together, and he was surprised to find himself looking forward to it.

…

If there was one thing Gally was proud of, it was his car. It was a 1962 Spitfire, one of the originals, which he had somehow managed to buy for virtually nothing and then fix up. They may have had a tiny apartment, but Gally had spent hundreds on the damn thing (which he'd named Sonya). Newt smiled now as he unlocked the steering wheel and backed it out of the garage, which Newt then locked behind them. Gally leant over and prised open Newt's door. It would actually have been easier just to climb in, but Gally was too precious about it.

The seats were practically on the floor, and so he had to lower himself down gingerly. His stomach gave another sharp stab of pain as he slammed the door shut behind him. It was still painful a couple of days later and it was starting to really worry him. He rubbed it gently, but then Gally was screeching out of the parking lot, and he forgot all about it.

Newt had missed this. The wind flying through his hair, blowing it in random directions around his face, and his eyes streaming. Gally, who had the one pair or sunglasses they kept in Sonya, was looking impossibly cool with one hand on the steering wheel and the other dangling out of the window. Newt laughed and threw his head back. He could remember when they'd done this every other weekend, just driven away from everything, before Gally had become so… tense. It was so exhilarating doing this together, and it reminded Newt of just why he'd fallen in love with Gally.

"I love you!" He shouted over the roar of the wind and the engine. Gally turned and smiled at him.

"I love you too." He leant over and kissed him quickly, before turning back to the road. They stayed like that, in a comfortable silence for the next hour, maybe longer, enjoying the sensations of the wind, and each other's company. At some point Gally reached over and grabbed Newt's hand and he squeezed it back, letting the world wash over him for a while.

…

Newt must have dozed off at some point, because he ended up blinking his eyes open in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant or something. Gally was just coming out of the door, a couple of paper bags in his hands. He smirked when he noticed Newt straightening up and squinting blearily at him.

"Afternoon, sleepy head." He chuckled, climbing back in to the car and handing Newt the bags. "Nothing fancy, but I reckoned we could find somewhere nice to sit and eat?"

Newt nodded, settling the bags down by his feet.

"Sounds good. How long was I asleep?"

"Dunno, couple of hours maybe?" Gally replied, leaning down to shove the key in the ignition. "It's about half one now."

"Cool. So, where did you have in plan for having lunch."

Gally shrugged and they turned back onto the road.

"Nowhere in particular," he said, with his voice slightly raised over the increasing noise, "I just thought we could drive until we spotted somewhere."

"Nice." Newt smiled, and then yawned widely. Gally glanced over at him for a second.

"How are you still tired?!" He asked, not unkindly. Newt shrugged.

"I'm not sure. Probably just because I didn't sleep well last night."

"Newt, you've just had a two hour sleep." Newt didn't reply. "You know, I reckon it's all these early mornings."

"Gally, I only get up an hour earlier than you!"

"I know, but you don't sleep as deeply as me." Gally glanced at Newt, and must have seen his face, because he grabbed his hand again, rubbing circles like he had the previous night. "Hey, I'm just worried about you."

"Well don't. We're supposed to be having a good time. And I'm fine." He added as an afterthought. His boyfriend grinned.

"You're right. Hey, how about there for lunch?"

There was a river running a couple of hundred yards away parallel to the road. Gally was pointing towards a little copse of trees right on the bank, which had a little dirt trail leading up to it. There didn't seem to be anyone else there. Newt nodded.

"Looks good."

Gally turned Sonya sharply and then they were bumping along the track. The car had virtually no suspension, and was very low to the ground, so the short journey was very uncomfortable, and Gally was forced to drive very slowly so that a random rock didn't knock off a bit of the engine under the car. By the time they got to the copse, Newt was feeling very rattled; Gally seemed fine. But it was worth it.

Newt didn't know why he took such an immediate liking to the place so much, because it was really very ordinary – a few trees, a fire pit and a little beach on the river. But it was very peaceful. From this distance, you could barely hear the noise of the road – it simply mixed into the background along with the crickets. The harsh midday light was dampened by the leaves into cracked patches on the floor, and the river, more a large stream, was flowing softly. Newt smiled and hopped out of the car, carrying the bags, closely followed by Gally.

"This is perfect." He murmured under his breath. His boyfriend came up behind him, draping his arm over his shoulders and kissing the top of his head.

"As are you. Now, c'mon." He grabbed Newt's wrist (not hard, but it was still an effort not to flinch) and led him over towards the bank of the river. They slumped down, and ate together in a peaceful silence. Their burgers had gone slightly cold, and there was a breeze which was biting through his thin jumper, but he couldn't help smiling along with Gally.

"It's been way too long since we've done something like this." He told Gally, as they were finishing off. "We should do it more often."

"It has been way too long. But you know we can't do it more often."

Newt glanced down at his hands. Once upon a time, he'd have asked why, when Gally had said screw work hours earlier, and when they were having such a great time.

"I know." He carried on looking at his hands. Gally placed his hand on his shoulder, and seemed on the verge of saying something when his phone went off in his back pocket. His boyfriend drew back, seemed to check the screen, and then stood up, dusting off the seat of his jeans.

"This is important, I'm gonna have to take it."

Gally picked up the rubbish and started to walk back in the direction of the car. Newt glanced over his shoulder to watch. His boyfriend was chatting animatedly on the phone as he shoved the rubbish in the trunk, a coy smile playing about his lips, making huge hand gestures despite the fact that whoever he was talking to couldn't see him. Newt smiled at him sadly. They had used to share everything with each other, but now Gally seemed to spend more time speaking to other people than he did to Newt, and increasingly rarely did things such as this. He wondered whether this was just what settling down felt like. If it was, he wasn't entirely sure he liked it.

Sighing softly, he spun back around to face the river. It didn't seem polluted like the ones you saw in cities – the water was clear enough that you could make out details on the bottom, and it was glittering in the sunlight. Newt leant down and dipped his hand in. Cool, but not cold. Another glance behind his shoulder confirmed that Gally was going to be a while, so he pulled off his boots and socks and dipped his toes in the water. He lay backwards, feet still dangling in the river, and looked up at the sky (or rather the patches of it) through the leaves. It was beautiful.

He stayed like that for he next half an hour, until he heard Gally saying goodbye to whoever was on the phone, and make his way back over. He sat up, drawing his knees to his chest and putting his chin on them. Water ran in rivulets from his toes.

"Sorry about that." Gally said, sounding completely unsorry, and slumped down next to him, pulling off his own shoes. Newt fell back onto him, knees bent, his head in his boyfriend's lap. Gally started to draw little patterns on his shoulder, and fiddle with a loose thread in the seam there. It tickled.

"I wish we could stay here all day." Whispered Newt. He felt Gally chuckle slightly.

"We can, if you want."

Newt opened his eyes to see Gally looking down at him.

"Really?" He asked, slightly bewildered.

Gally laughed, leaning his head back.

"Of course, sweetie." He took a strand of Newt's hair and began to play with it absent-mindedly, twisting is around his fingers. Newt let himself sink into the sensation, closing his eyes and letting his face bask in the sunlight.

…

Before Newt knew it (probably because he'd fallen asleep) it was getting colder and darker. Gally was apparently very prepared, and had procured both matches and blankets from Sonya. Now, at about nine at night, they were snuggled up by a roaring fire, covered in pink fluffy blankets, one covered in bunnies (Newt hadn't asked where exactly Gally had got them). The river was making soft noises behind them, the only other sounds the occasional lorry powering past. Neither of them had said anything for a good hour. They'd instead simply held each other close, revelling in each other's presence.

All of a sudden, Gally held out two fingers and put them under Newt's chin, turning it so they were facing each other. Softly, Gally kissed him, and Newt gave in to it, letting his boyfriend's strong arms pull him closer. Gally became more urgent, prising Newt's lips open, crushing them together so that Newt couldn't tell where he ended and where Gally started. It was then that he tried to pull back, but Gally's arms were as strong as iron and had him locked as if in a vice.

Newt had no choice but to give in to it completely. Gently, he slipped his hands under Gally's shirt, inching upwards, tracing all the lines of the muscles under his fingers. The other man responded enthusiastically, pressing Newt closer to him, purring in the back of his throat. He broke his contact with Newt for a second to pull off his shirt, quickly removing Newt's hoody and shirt as well. It suddenly felt so much more intense now their torsos were touching. Gally was trying to take things further, but Newt delayed him, clutching his back, moving his hands up onto his shoulders, kissing him back with more force. Gally wound his hands into his hair cupping the back of his head to keep him close.

"Come on Newt," He whispered in between kisses. "Stop pissing around." He reached his hand lower. Newt didn't stop him. Gally kissed down his neck, down his chest, and Newt couldn't help throwing his head back. Gally chuckled under his breath, and then rolled them, so that they were lying down. Newt smiled as Gally kissed him again.

"We're really doing this on a bunny blanket, aren't we are?"

Gally laughed.

"Only us."


End file.
